


Hajime's Lifetime

by kitkate_a



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:41:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28209984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitkate_a/pseuds/kitkate_a
Summary: Tooru asked for a break but the world gave him more than that, three chances to leap through time and Iwaizumi Hajime.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime & Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	Hajime's Lifetime

**Author's Note:**

> hello, here's an iwaoi time travel au, this is actually an entry to Ate Kel's writing challenge. THIS IS THE RESULT OF MY TEARS, HARD WORK AND PROCRASTINATION  
> hope you enjoy a lil angst before 2020 ends, happy holidays ^^

At least for once, have you ever thought to die and forget all of your problems? What if for a day, you can remove all your responsibilities from life? Did it ever cross your mind?

This is what Oikawa Tooru has been thinking for a few days, he wants to leave work.

“Oikawa-san, no overtime for today”, his co-worker said, after saving the files, he immediately turned the PC off.

Time check, it’s 10:39PM, he’s been working for more than ten hours and he’s exhausted to death.

_If the gods are real, they can take my soul now and I won’t even object._

Any moment from now, Tooru can pass out but, his phone rang. There was an email notification.

What happened next? He wasn’t sure, he felt nothing, or maybe everything? He even thought that he died.

Out of reflex, Tooru opened his eyes. He sat up, caught his breath. He wasn’t exhausted, rather it feels as if waking up from a very long sleep.

“Tooru! Come here if you’re awake!”

Hearing the familiar nagging voice of his mother, he went out of his bed, as soon as he laid his eyes on the room, it hit him.

“This is not my room, and what the heck is that uniform? A gakuran?!”

His mother soon opened the door of his room, “Hey! You’ll be late for school if you don’t hurry!”

Tooru can recognize his mother from her looks, but she looks younger than what he knows. And what does she mean by the school? Tooru has graduated years ago and is now working at a company.

_“Good morning, Japan! Time check, it’s 7:38 in the morning, Monday, October 4, 1971. “_

“1971? It’s 1971?”, Tooru asked when he heard the radio.

“Yes, so go to the bathroom, quickly, you’ll be late for your first day at school”, his mother said as he pushed him.

On his bath, he tried to process what was happening, just before he was in 21st century, and now he’s in the 1970s.

“Did I travel through time? But how? Oh, maybe I died and then reincarnated, just like those isekai things.”

Tooru sighed as he went out of the room, he finished wearing his uniform. It was different from what he had worn before, definitely because it was in a different century.

Getting his bag on his shoulder, he fixed his hair, placing the hat on top.

“Here’s your bento”, his mother said but he can’t leave yet.

“How do I… go to school?”

After receiving the directions, with a little bit of nagging, from his mother, he started walking on his way to school. He can recognize the streets, how could he not notice that this is his hometown? It was the place where he spent years of his childhood, when he had nothing to worry about, and all he did was to have fun.

Instead of hurrying to school, Tooru took it slow, he enjoyed the beauty of Miyagi. He didn’t care if he’s late for school, maybe he would just skip it.

His spree ended soon as a bike came rushing in his direction, he heard a scream.

“Hey! Move out of the way! I’m late for school!”

As he looked back, his eyes widened, even the man riding the bike was surprised by Tooru’s sudden move.

It may be too late to avoid the direction, the man avoided Tooru as much as possible, but the bike still reached his bag. As cliched as it may sound, Tooru fell but the biker just left, swiftly with his bike. But Tooru definitely noticed it.

They had the same uniform, the same gakuran and hat, speaking of the hat, Tooru picked up the hat that fell from the biker.

He decided to go to school, his pace was faster than before. Tooru wants to give the gakuran hat back to the owner.

When Tooru entered the class, he was already late. With an overused catchphrase, “I got lost”, the teacher didn’t give him a late pass.

“Then, come here in the front. Introduce yourself to your classmates, since you’re a transferee.”

Tooru took a deep breath, “I’m Oikawa Tooru, twenty-“, he stopped when he remembered that he’s younger now.

Since he’s back to his high school life, the best part of his life, maybe he could enjoy this life, as a student in the 1970s.

He coughed twice, he spoke again “I’m Oikawa Tooru, eighteen, my star sign is Cancer, and I like milk bread.” Finishing his introduction with a bright smile, he did not forget a peace sign.

His classmates were good people, they welcomed him to the group.

“Oikawa-san, do you want to join a club?”, his classmate asked him.

“Ah yes, what are the available clubs?”, Tooru responded, he wanted to have more fun than what he had back then, he wants to enjoy the clubs this time.

“Are you free after school? Let’s check out the clubs!”

“Takahiro! Come with us, would you?”, one of the guys called on him.

“Yeah, yeah!”, Takahiro replied.

As they planned, after the classes ended, they brought Tooru to the clubs. They had a huge building for all the clubs, they called it a clubhouse. There were lots of clubs, and fun people but Tooru doesn’t want a petty reason to join a club. He wants to choose a club that he would enjoy.

“These are the gyms, there’s the basketball club and the volleyball club”, Takahiro said, pointing to the gyms.

“Oy, Takahiro! Hajime is looking for you, the practice is starting!”, his third-year volleyball teammate, Issei, told him.

“Let’s watch their practice! The captain is really handsome”, the girls started to gossip behind Tooru.

“When do you plan on starting the practice? How long are you gonna stand there?”, the volleyball team’s captain called on them.

Tooru looked at him, it didn’t last long but it wasn’t short as a second, their eyes definitely met. It was the biker whom he bumped to earlier, Iwaizumi Hajime.

Hajime’s first action was to run away. Why? It’s not like he did anything bad but, maybe he acted on his reflexes, to avoid Tooru.

“Iwaizumi-san?!”

Tooru recognized the bicycle boy, he ran after him.

“Hey! Stop!”

They looked like idiots running around the school, Tooru kept on calling him.

“I told you to stop!”, Tooru shouted but Hajime kept on running away from him, he soon stopped after hearing a thug behind him.

He looked back and saw Tooru on the floor. He didn’t hesitate to go to him.

Tooru looked up, faking a fall is actually painful, he could see Hajime’s worried eyes and his hand offering him help. He accepted his hand, holding it tightly, however instead of standing up, he took something from his bag.

Hajime was confused but, he can’t let go of Tooru’s hand. His eyes followed Tooru’s hand, rummaging the bag and taking out a gakuran hat.

Tooru placed the hat on Hajime’s head, it was the gakuran hat that Hajime left earlier.

Hajime was surprised with his sudden action, he was staring at Tooru, not until the boy stared back at him, and smiled.

Tooru stood up first, Hajime followed him. The boy was still holding his hand.

“I got you”, Tooru said, for some reason, he looks quite excited.

 _He got me? What?_ Iwaizumi Hajime is at the phase of his gay awakening.

“Your teammates must be looking for you, didn’t you say that you have a practice?”, Tooru asked him, changing the topic.

“Oh, right… The practice!”, Hajime was reminded, and before he could go back to the gym, he looked at Tooru, their hands were still interlocked.

“Wanna join our volleyball club?”

Tooru was bewildered. Maybe, not only that he has found a club that he could join, but maybe it’s also because he found someone to like.

“Sure.”

The two went back to the gym, talking about volleyball, still holding each other’s hand.

“Iwaizumi-san, you’re lateeee! One set of diving drills for the latecomers!”, Takahiro said, mimicking the way Hajime speaks whenever their teammates are late for practice.

“Oh god, shut up, I know I’m late.”

Today, Tooru was introduced to them, he underwent through a tryout and finally joined the team as a setter.

“See you tomorrow, I guess”, Hajime said as they went out of the gym after locking it.

“Yes, thank you for inviting me to the club.”

The other third years, Issei and Takahiro, waved their hands to Tooru, which he waved back too. They started pedaling their bikes, following them was Hajime.

“I want to go home immediately and tell Mom that I joined the volleyball club, she would be happy if she hears this”, Tooru whispered to himself as he walked home.

When he entered the house, it was quiet. The lights were off. He thought, maybe his mother was still at work.

It felt lonely by himself so, he opened the record player. There were records of classical music and famous bands.

“Sam Cooke, this is nice.”

He started playing the record, he thought that he should cook dinner for his mother. After he changed his uniform, he went to the kitchen.

While cooking, he was singing along to the song of the famous The Ronettes, “Be My Baby”. It was a nice song, especially when you’re in love.

More time passed but his mother is still not home. Something probably came up and Tooru is worried. He finished cooking and he fell asleep waiting for her.

He woke up hearing a noise, but it wasn’t his mother’s nagging.

When Tooru opened his eyes, the house was the same as before. His mother wasn’t there.

However, there was a letter on the center table, which he immediately took and went to his room. It was a letter addressed to him.

_To: Oikawa Tooru_

_Welcome to 1971, this is my gift for you. You have three chances to leap through time. Just close your eyes, put your hands together and say when you want to go to, you have three seconds before it happens. Just remember that you have to go back to the 21 st century before the world pulls you back._

_Enjoy your stay, we will wait for when you come back._

“Time travel? I… I want to go back. I want to see my mom…”

Tooru just stayed inside his room, still waiting for his mother, even though he can say that there are chances that she might not come back. 

* * *

“Do you know where Oikawa is? Please tell him that we have a practice and the coach is looking for him”, Hajime told the girls from Tooru’s class.

“Oikawa-san hasn’t attended school since he came here.”

“Then, do you know where he lives?”, Hajime asked, and the girls shook their heads.

“Alright, thank you.”

Hajime went and took Takahiro together with Issei, bringing the two with him to the teachers’ faculty room. They asked for Oikawa’s home address.

After they had their practice, they immediately rode their bikes and went to the said address but they ended up getting lost.

“Are you sure that this is the address? We’re not getting anywhere, let’s just go home, Iwaizumi”, Issei said and Takahiro nodded.

Since the two kept on nagging, Hajime just went along with them. On the way to the main street, where the night market was, he saw Tooru. He was sure of it, he shouted his name without hesitation.

“Oikawa!”

The brunette heard his name and looked for the man who was calling for him, but he was surprised when someone held his hand. His shocked face soon turned to a smile when he saw the man.

“You got me, Iwaizumi.”

Hajime won’t let go of his hand, not until Tooru said why he was gone for a few days.

“I was waiting for my Mom to come home, but I got hungry so I went here to eat”, Tooru said as he sat on the bench, he saw Issei and Takahiro walking towards them with their bikes, he waved his hand when they saw him.

“Are you coming to school tomorrow?”, Hajime asked him.

“Yeah, I have to. If Mom is here, she would scold me”, Tooru answered and ate the onigiri he bought.

Hajime knows that something is wrong, but he doesn’t want to make a mistake. Currently, he’s like a stranger to Tooru, he can wait for when the time that Tooru comes to him.

“It’s getting late. You should go home”, Hajime said and Tooru nodded.

“See you tomorrow, Iwaizumi.”

The following days happened peacefully, although Tooru received a scolding from his coach and the teachers, nothing else happened.

He soon became close friends with Takahiro, Issei, and the other players of the team. There’re also the first years he is close to, Kindaichi and Kunimi.

He also experienced one thing that he never did before, eating lunch with his friends.

“You made your own bento? That’s amazing, Oikawa”, Issei said.

“I got some manju from my uncle, want some?”, Hajime asked them and Takahiro immediately took one from the paper bag.

Hajime placed the paper bag in the middle of the table, but unfortunately, a cat jumped and snatched it.

“Wow, a black cat just stole our snack”, Issei said.

“Luckily, I got one. The manju is really tasty, you know”, Takahiro said with a grin.

Tooru suddenly remembers the letter he got, so he closed his eyes, intertwining both of his hands.

“Before the cat steals the paper bag”, he whispered.

_Did it work?_

“Oikawa? Hey”, he heard Hajime’s voice so, he opened his eyes.

“Uh, yeah? What was it?”, Tooru asked him.

“Do you want a snack? Manju?”, Hajime asked him, showing him the paper bag.

Tooru looks confused, so Hajime just gave him one.

He bit on the manju while thinking, did he really travel through time?

While they were eating, a black cat jumped on their table but Issei immediately took the paper bag. It was safe from the food snatcher.

It was real. Tooru traveled through time. And now, he only has two chances left.

“Practice is over, yay!”, Takahiro happily said as they all walked out through the school gate.

“Practice ends at noon tomorrow, wanna hang out to a nearby store?”, Issei asked them.

“Count me in, of course!”

“Take care, see you tomorrow, Iwaizumi”, Tooru said while watching Hajime ride his bike.

“Yeah, you too. Get home safely”, Hajime replied and gave Tooru a head pat, “See you”, he added.

“Hey, go home, love birds!”, Issei screamed from afar as they watched the two.

“Oh, shut up!”, Hajime screamed back and started pedaling his bike.

Has he fallen? Yes, he fell really deep. Maybe Hajime didn’t see it, but Tooru was blushing.

As they planned, after their practice they gathered by the gym.

“So, where do we go?”, Issei asked.

By the gate, they met Kunimi Akira, one of the first years in the volleyball club. Seeing his seniors, he greeted them.

“Thank you for today, senpai.”

Takahiro remembered Akira’s boyfriend, so he told him.

“Hey, your boyfriend is waiting for you by the gate”, Takahiro said, and Akira’s eyes widened, he ran fast towards the gate.

“Love birds”, Takahiro said and grinned.

“Kunimi’s boyfriend is also a volleyball player, right? Doesn’t his sister own a shop?”, Issei asked them while walking towards the gate.

“Yeah, Kageyama Tobio, right?”, Hajime said, and Takahiro replied.

“Hey, let’s go there, let’s ask Kageyama.”

Tooru was following them quietly, he soon met Akira’s boyfriend, Kageyama Tobio.

They asked Tobio if they can go and he agreed, and now there are six of them, triple date.

“Oikawa-san, you’re a setter too?”, Tobio asked him. Tooru was amused, he smiled at the younger and nodded, “Yeah, we’re both setters.”

He enjoyed talking to Tobio, he was reminded of his younger cousin, someone he played volleyball with, the boy he spent years of his life. He misses him.

“Hey, do you like milk?”, Tooru asked him, Tobio was surprised by his question.

“Yeah! I love it, do you also like drinking milk?”, Tobio replied with a smile and Tooru nodded in response.

Tobio was excited, he never met someone that has a lot of similarities with him. 

“There’s a vending machine, want to have a drink, Oikawa-san?”, Tobio asked him, and Tooru nodded.

Tooru noticed the car coming behind Tobio but, before he could call on him, he heard a loud thud, following it was Akira’s scream.

“Tobio? Tobio! Hey!”, Akira screamed as he lifted the unconscious boy, Tobio was hit by the car.

Akira looked at Tooru, he was crying. Tooru didn’t know what he should do, but he’s sure of one thing, he doesn’t want to lose someone, not for the second time.

So, he thought, he should use his second chance to travel through time. Trying his best not to cry, he closed his eyes, intertwining his hands, just the same as what he did before.

“Before Tobio dies”, he whispered, and when he opened his eyes, he was blinded by the setting sun, Tobio was smiling at him.

“Want to have a drink, Oikawa-san?”, Tobio asked him, Tooru sees the car behind him, he reached for Tobio’s hand.

But he could not reach it, Tobio was far from him. Tooru was afraid, what if it repeats?

“Hey, Tobio, move away from the road, it’s dangerous”, Akira said as he pulled his boyfriend towards him.

The car passed them, Tobio did not cross the street.

“But I was gonna buy some drinks for Oikawa-san”, Tobio replied, and Tooru patted his shoulder.

“Let’s just hurry to your sister’s shop.”

Ever since they arrived at the shop, a bakery owned by the Kageyamas, Hajime noticed Tooru’s unusual behavior.

“Melon bread, curry pan, milk bread, choose what you want”, Miwa said as she handed a plastic bag to Tobio.

Hajime sat beside Tooru who was quietly eating on the bench.

“Wanna swing by a torii later? It’s a good place”, he whispered to Tooru.

“Uhm, sure.”

Hearing a familiar song from the radio by the counter, Takahiro stood up and sang.

“Hey, Jude~!”

Tooru has heard of this song, at least for once in his previous life. Who wouldn’t know of this famous The Beatles’ song?

He stood up and joined Takahiro singing along to the song.

It was a cold night, in front of a bakery were boys happily singing together, clapping their hands. It was a scene that Tooru could only imagine before, but now he’s having the time of his life with them.

“We’re going home! Thanks for the treat, Tobio, and Miwa-neesan!”

Hajime sat on his bike, stared at Tooru, and called his name, “Tooru, ride with me.”

Standing on the bike’s step nut, Tooru held on Hajime’s shoulder.

“Here we go”, Hajime said as he started pedaling, although it was wobbling at first, Hajime’s pace soon became faster.

“H-Hey!”

Hajime slowed down, he was humming a song. Tooru could hear him, he was swaying along with Hajime’s hum. Tooru hasn’t heard of that song.

“Hey, what’s that song? It’s nice”, Tooru asked him.

Instead of answering, Hajime sang the lyrics.

_"But I do know that I love you."_

Tooru was astonished. Should he take it as a sudden confession from Hajime, or maybe he was just singing the song?

“What a Wonderful World, Sam Cooke, it was released eleven years ago. My parents used to dance to that song”, Hajime said.

As Hajime stopped pedaling, Tooru jumped off the bike and looked at the torii.

Behind the torii was a view of Sendai, it’s as if a portal.

“Hey, what’s bothering you? You were really quiet earlier, did something happen?”, Hajime asked him.

“Iwaizumi, I can trust you, right?”, Tooru asked him, looking at his eyes, Hajime responded with his smile.

“If I told you that I traveled through time, would you believe me?”

“Did you ever lie to me, Oikawa?”, Hajime wondered, Tooru immediately shook his head as a response.

“Then, I trust you, I believe in you”, Hajime smiled at him.

“I wasn’t born here, I came from the light-filled city of Tokyo, years from now. Things are really amazing there, much more to what you can imagine.”

“Technology upgraded to the point that you can time travel? Were there aliens just like what you said before?”, Hajime asked him, although there’s a part of him that could not believe Tooru, he wants to.

“Humans still don’t know the concept of time traveling, time machines aren’t invented yet, heck, I don’t even know how I got here, but I’m thankful”, Tooru said, he was laughing at his own words, “And hey, the universe expands and humans haven’t explored much of it, there’s still a possibility of the existence of aliens!”, he added.

“Oikawa, why did you travel through time?”, Hajime asked him.

“I was lonely, exhausted, and overworked. Maybe the universe got tired of my never-ending wishes and complaints, so they sent me here to take a break”, Tooru answered, his eyes were staring at the cloudless sky of Sendai, the stars were visible, they were shining.

“I can be the rest you were looking for.”

Maybe, Tooru was just overthinking, because right now, he thinks that Hajime likes him.

“Oikawa, I like you.”

Or maybe not.

Hajime went back on his bike, “Hey, hop on! I’ll bring you home.”

Tooru was flattered, it wasn’t the first time he received a confession, he was famous back in his high school. However, it was the first that the person he likes confesses to him.

Tooru stood on the step nut, holding on to Hajime’s shoulder.

“Didn’t I tell you to hold tightly?”, Hajime said as he tapped Tooru’s hand on his shoulder.

Reaching the night market that was still alive at that time, Tooru called Hajime to stop the bike.

“I can go home from here.”

“Are you sure?

“Yep, don’t wanna make you go farther from your home, thanks for today”, Tooru said and turned his back, but he looked at Hajime for the last time, “You know what? I like you too, so you better get home safely. See you tomorrow!”

He ran as he waved his hand to Hajime.

As soon as he got back home, Tooru threw himself on the bed.

“It’s dangerous, I’m attached to someone here… And the letter said that I have to go back.”

Tooru experience how it felt to be a campus couple, although not everyone knows, he’s happy that his friends are supporting them, they even go on dates.

As he fell more for Hajime, the colder his winter became.

He had weird incidents. A lot of his belongings are disappearing. Even Hajime noticed it, Hajime knows everything, he told him. So that when the time comes, he won’t be left alone without knowing anything.

“You have to go back, Oikawa”, he doesn’t want it, but Hajime knows that it’s the only solution.

“I don’t want to. You also don’t want it, Iwaizumi. So, no! I won’t go back”, Tooru stubbornly disagrees, he was firmly shaking his head, crossing his arms.

“Oikawa, you have to. Your belongings are disappearing, because it’s not supposed to be here, just like you Oikawa. You have to go back to where you belong”, Hajime said, cupping Tooru’s face with his hands,

Tooru embraced him, “But, I belong to you.”

Hajime doesn’t want to hug him back with his arms, if he did, he might not be able to let him go.

“It’s lonely to be left, but you were too precious that the universe only allowed me to borrow you for a short time, and I have to give you back.”

“I don’t want to leave you! You’ll be alone, and it’s painful to be alone”, Tooru was so close to crying, he was desperate, maybe there’s another way for them to be together, or at least for Hajime to not be abandoned.

“I can use my last chance to go back to when we haven’t met each other, so when I’m gone, you won’t miss me, you will not look for me, Iwaizumi”, he was crying.

"Don't even dare to do it, don't change how our lives came to, I would know it, Oikawa. I know the difference of how my life was with you and without you”, Hajime warned him, he wiped the tears on Tooru’s face.

He cried on him, no matter how much Tooru persists, Hajime doesn’t want it. It’s worse than Tooru leaving him, he wouldn’t accept Tooru disappearing in his memories. 

* * *

“Waaah, it’s cold”, Takahiro complained as he rubbed his hands together but, Issei took his hands, interlocking them with his.

“How are we going to walk then?”, Takahiro asked him.

“I don’t know, just let it be”, Issei answered him as he played with Takahiro’s hands, sneakily putting a ring on his finger.

“Hey!”

“Happy New Year”, Issei greeted him with a smile.

Akira went through in the middle of them, while taking Tobio behind him, “Lovebirds”, he said, and his seniors snickered at him.

“Said by someone who won’t leave his boyfriend’s side”, Takahiro said.

“Heeeeyyyy!”

“Ah, they’re here”, Issei said, hearing a scream, he soon saw the two they were waiting for.

As usual, Hajime is on his bike, holding tightly on his shoulders was Tooru, they were both wearing their yukata.

Even with a gap of a century, festivals are still the same. Candy apples, yukata, gatherings, and fireworks, Tooru had seen it all but, he will never get tired of going to festivals, especially now that he has friends.

“I know that you want to have a solo date but, make sure to come back for the fireworks display!”, Takahiro reminded them.

They went in pairs, it was a triple date. Akira and Tobio were sitting on a bench, eating yakisoba. Takahiro is cheering for his boyfriend at the dart game stall.

Tooru and Hajime were quietly standing near their bikes, watching their friends having fun, both of them were intertwining their hands. Hajime took off his scarf and wrapped it to Tooru instead.

Hajime was startled when Tooru pulled his hand and pointed his bike.

“Where are we going?”, Hajime asked while pulling his bike out of the rack, he saw Tooru staring at a bright place which Hajime recognized.

Without hesitations, Hajime rode his bike and Tooru stepped behind.

It was filled with lights, there were a few people because the fireworks display is about to start.

Jumping off the bike, the two went to the shrine.

After putting an offer to the red box, they bowed and clapped their hands twice.

Tooru prayed.

Bowing deeply for the last time, they went to the shrine’s counter. They were selling charms and fortune cookies.

Tooru has been spacing out for a long time, he was staring at the shrine.

Coming from the counter, Hajime was holding something, Tooru asked him what it was as soon as he saw him.

“It’s a charm bracelet”, Hajime answered and showed a long, red thread to Tooru.

"A charm bracelet? It's a red thread though", Tooru said.

"Didn't you know? Threads symbolize connection. Don't lose this, it's my gift for you", Hajime told him, taking Tooru's wrist.

"Then what does the red thread means?"

"A long thread for long life, and red so it will never break", Hajime answered, tying the red thread on Tooru's wrist, adding a knot to seal the tie.

“That’s a deep meaning, it resembles our relationship”, Tooru said as he looked at the bracelet.

“Red for a fated love, and a long thread for a long connection”, Tooru added, he took Hajime’s hand, intertwining with his.

Their sweet and romantic moment was interrupted when they heard the screams of the people counting down, waiting for midnight to strike. It’s New Year’s eve, Tooru and Hajime don’t want to miss the most anticipated event, the fireworks display.

Hurrying to the festival, Hajime was pedaling hard. He wants to watch the display with Tooru, he knows that it would be a memorable, a very special memory for the two of them.

The screams of people overlapped with the noise made by the popping fireworks, lighting up the sky together with the stars.

“It started!”, Tooru screamed.

Hajime stopped pedaling, they both stared at the night sky filled with flashes. Tooru stepped down from Hajime’s bike.

Tooru embraced his Hajime, his arms over Hajime’s shoulders, putting his hands together. Hajime knows where it was going, he wanted to hold his hand and never let go of it.

"Earlier, I invited you to the shrine because I want to pray. I prayed for you and the guys' health and future."

Tooru stared at Hajime’s back, the back he leaned on, the kind back that comforted him when he cried. To think that he would not experience this again, that this would be the last time.

Hajime knows it, Tooru would leave him soon. He would just say the word, and he’ll be gone.

“Hold my hand, take it away from me and I will stay to you, Iwaizumi”, Tooru was begging, if Hajime tells him to not go, he would never leave him.

“I told you that you have to go, Oikawa.”

He was hoping that maybe, Hajime would take the risk with him. Tooru leaned forward, kissing his boyfriend’s head.

“Oikawa”, he called him, and the boy hummed in response.

“I will live long and wait for the moment that I would see you once again, in my lifetime.”

Tooru closed his eyes, he can’t cry, he must not. Clenching his hands together, he whispered, “Back to the present.”

“I love you”, Hajime said as he looked back.

The weight on his shoulders was gone, no one is hugging him. The red thread fell on him, he tied it on his wrist, he wouldn’t want to lose it. It’s a gift for Tooru.

He took a deep breath and stepped his right foot on the pedal. His first step told it all, the usual step that took him farther than before. He wasn’t used to a lighter bike, he could no longer feel Tooru with him. He could not continue pedaling, all of his strength disappeared.

Holding tightly on the bike’s grip, he firmed himself.

“I have to go back to Matsukawa and the guys…”, he said but he cannot even move his legs.

He looked up in the sky, the fireworks display has ended. He didn’t even notice, he was too focused on Tooru.

“Ah, I should have made him stay. Now, he’s not even under the same sky as me.”

Hajime cried, he screamed all of his regrets, all of his “should have” to Tooru.

“Hey, where’s Oikawa? You’re late”, Issei asked him when he got back.

“He went home.”

Tooru never came back, even if people looked for him, Hajime was only quiet, he himself knows and has accepted it.

Once he found the paper where he wrote Tooru’s home address, he went there. He saw a traditional house, owned by a couple who goes by the family name “Oikawa”. They were good people. Hajime was glad that Tooru had good ancestors.

* * *

The sound of the fireworks was no longer heard, he listened to a lullaby, a hum rather. Tooru opened his eyes. His sight was concentrated on the view outside the window.

He was sitting inside a moving car, he’s back to the century that he belongs to.

_Hey, today is May 24, 2057, and it’s Thursday! To start our Throwback Thursday, here’s John Denver’s Country Road._

“Tooru, good morning”, his mother, sitting on the driving seat, greeted him when she noticed that he was awake.

“Mom, I love you”, Tooru said, he had the urge to say it to his mother, he missed her.

“I love you too, sweetie”, his mother replied with a smile.

He soon found out that they were going home to Sendai to celebrate his grandmother’s birthday, and for him to spend his day off.

Throughout the ride he was quiet, he was trying to remember something, maybe he had a dream that he forgot.

“Tooru, we’ve arrived. Do you remember this house? You used to practice volleyball here all day”, his mother said as she pointed to the house’s backyard.

He laughed as he was reminded of his childhood memories. They went inside the traditional Japanese home that has been standing for a lot of years. 

"Tooru, I found your bracelet when we were cleaning the house, it's a gift from the old man living in the neighborhood", his uncle said and gave him a red thread.

"How is that a bracelet? That's a thread", his nephew, Takeru, said and took it, he wrapped it on Tooru’s wrist.

“Make a spiral with the thread’s ends, then wrap it on my wrist. Wrapping two people’s connection together, and seal with a knot.”

He remembered it. Those memories, all about Hajime. He almost forgot Hajime like a nice dream that fades every time he tries to remember, a dream that would never come to him again.

“I’ve received the gift, thank you and I love you too.”

_\- end_

**Author's Note:**

> HEYYY, i accept feedbacks and questions if u wanna clarify the plot or more info about the story ^.^ but here are some notes:  
> \- tooru was born in 2029 while hajime was born on 1953  
> \- the present year was 2057, tooru went back on 1971  
> \- the songs I mentioned here are Sam Cooke's What a Wonderful World, The Beatles' Hey Jude, The Ronettes' Be My Baby and John Denver's Country Road, they're all good songs, I recommend it ^^  
> \- hAPPY HOLIDAYS, Y'ALL STAY SAFEEE


End file.
